The frequent use of hot rollers and electrical hair dryers tends to cause hair damage, requiring periodic application of hair conditioning products. Preferably these conditioners are applied to damaged hair in a heat-controlled environment for a short period of time, usually about 30 minutes. Although it is preferable to apply hair conditioners in a salon under the supervision of a professional hair dresser, hair conditioning is also commonly self-applied at home using a commercially available heat cap or other heat controlled apparatus.
A number of heating caps for home use are presently available in the marketplace. These caps are commonly heavy and bulky thereby causing difficulties with handling and storage. More importantly, the heating caps of the prior art all appear to have a boat-like shape, best referred to as a "prairie schooner" design which is illconstructed to apply even, uniform heat to damaged hair with conditioner thereon. This boat-like shape creates hot spots on the head causing burns to the skin and scalp of the user. Many prior art heat caps are also constructed to apply heat to unnecessary body areas thereby wasting energy and causing additional discomfort to the ears and forehead of the user.
The heat caps of the prior art also typically have a two-way or three-way switch allowing only a limited selection of temperature choices, thereby frequently resulting in burns or inefficient usage by the inexperienced wearer. Finally, the unwieldy construction and shape of prior art heat caps makes it very difficult to assemble said products, thereby increasing the cost and complexity of manufacturing and maintenance.